A Window to the Past
by Icelasting
Summary: A short drabble about Sirius's childhood, I do not own any of these characters! Enjoy :)


A tall boy with mahogany colored hair peeked through a keyhole watching his parents pace up and down a long snaking corridor. They whispered in hushed tones, wearing peculiar faces as if they had just returned from a viewing at a cemetery. Sullen and secretive, the boy could tell that their conversation was one they didn't want share. He occasionally had to run his fingers through his bangs which kept flopping in front of his face preventing him from getting a good view.

Only a few seconds passed when a younger boy with raven black hair and a mischievous smile clambered towards the door. He too seemed quite interested in the conversation, and nudged the older boy out of the way. The older boy responded by retreating to what appeared to be his side of the room.

The room was small and gray painted as if all the color had been sucked into a vortex. It was like a black and white picture; very simplistic and quaint. One side of the room was covered with colorful posters and green and silver flags. It had a bed hidden under several toys which also took up half the floor space as well. The other side of the room had a desk, a bed and a few books toppled over uneven stacks of paper. The older boy sat on the edge of a bed wearing a vacant and lonely expression.

The younger boy made a face and sniggered at the other boy, and proceeded to peek through the keyhole. Moments later he too went to the back of the room to sit on the bed opposite of the older boy's.

A pair of footsteps approached the door while voices quietly murmured outside. The door creaked open on poorly oiled hinges and swung outward.

A tall dark haired man with a horse-like gaunt face appeared in the doorframe. He was the kind of man who could have been an undertaker, as he smelled strongly of formaldehydes and preservatives. He was shadowed by a stern faced petite woman with a mousy appearance. Her eyebrows were knitted together in frustration, and her mouth formed a definite scowl. Together, the two of them made intolerable parents; the worst of the worst.

The mousy woman gently ushered the younger boy out of the room. It was apparent that he was the one they automatically favored. The small dark haired boy left, giving a reluctant kick on the door. This was not a wise thing to do because moments later he held his foot hopping around in agony. (For doors are quite solid, and one with little sense would tend to forget that.)

The older boy who was still sitting on the edge of his bed inched forward off his patchwork quilt. He scooted to the corner of his bed to face the horse faced man and mouse like lady. The man pulled a rather peculiar looking envelope from his waistcoat pocket, and held it out to the boy.

"Sirius, this came for you. I expect you know what it is." The woman's voice had an icy ring to it, as if she was presenting a death note declaring an execution.

The boy (Sirius as he was called) reached out his hand to receive the letter. The woman snatched it away and started talking.

"This is a very big event in your life Sirius, and it's not our fault if you're not ready. We raised you, and to speak truthfully you may not have what it takes to-"

The man cut her off midsentence.

"Walburga enough is enough. He is fine. He will do fine, be sorted into Slytherin and be the head of his class. He is after all… of the Black family. This means he is of pure blood, and therefore does fine in his biddings." The man paused, while his wife Walburga Black gave a displeased look.

"Orion, he is different. You know and I know. He does not get along with his wonderful brother Regulus or his cousins. How are we supposed to be respected while he carries on our name?"

They had seemed to forget that Sirius was still there, in the same room. He was used to these kinds of talks. They unfortunately came up frequently, which gave a chance to become aquatinted with them.

Sirius kept still, hoping that if he stood still as a statue they would forget he was there and just end up leaving. Since it had worked once before, he decided to give it a go.

Eventually Orion noticed that Sirius was right there next to him, so he tried to wrap up the conversation quickly. Walburga never really noticed Sirius, and sometimes she pretended that she only had one son. This was quite displeasing to Orion, because he was proud of both his sons even if one was… different.

"ENOUGH!" Orion's face whitened as he bellowed loudly. This startled Walburga, making an eerie silence to become them.

"As I was saying Sirius, Here is your letter," Orion rudely snatched the parchment envelope from his wife, whose face went a shade of sour green.

He made a dramatic gesture which was hard to miss, handing Sirius the letter. Walburga seemed to shrink into the shadows of the room.

Sirius took the envelope in his hand as if it were as fragile as glass. He ran his fingers over the smooth yellow-y paper feeling its texture.

One side of the envelope had a dark purple wax seal stamped on it keeping it concealed. In the middle of the seal was the letter "H" surrounded by four elegant looking animals and various patterns. This reminded him of a time when he saw a bunch of muggle children playing on a carousel riding on animals surrounded by vibrant colors; making him smile a large toothy grin. His mother frowned and lashed out a handful of cruel words.

"What are you gawking at boy!? Just open the damned letter. You've already wasted five minutes of my precious time!" Orion flashed an angry look towards Walburga.

Sirius's smile faded; because he remembered how that day had ended. He remembered begging his mother to ride on the carousel just once that day. He never saw one before; his parents rarely took him into the muggle realm. But his mother scolded him and denied him of his first and only request. That was the only thing he ever asked her for. And she said no.

This memory made him angry, so he tore through the envelope, ripping it down the crease of the spine. He took out a folded piece of paper, and even though he was upset he handled it gingerly. He wanted to keep this letter in his safe keep box, so he could always remember.

He unfolded the letter like a scroll. Oddly enough, it smelled strongly of licorice. He always loved licorice. Not the taste of course, but the smell. Whenever his father went into Hogsmead on business, he would always pick up ropes of black licorice for Sirius.

Sirius read the letter to himself; scanning only the important parts and information. So naturally he read all of it. It read:

Dear Mr. Black,

We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Classes will commence on the sixth of September. Disclosed you will find a list that informs you of everything you will need.

Sincerely,

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore

Sirius stood up, and walked over to his desk where he pried a stubborn desk draw open. He rummaged through his belongings, searching for something particular. He came across a blemished well-worn keepsake that was paneled with reflective glass. Small gray smudges covered sections of the glass producing a blurred reflection of a mahogany haired boy, with an angular face and dark eyes.

He flipped the silver latch up and lifted the top lid. Inside was a collection of newspaper clippings (whose pictures moved; almost like there were tiny people living in various articles). Underneath those were several dried flowers from a nearby meadow he used to visit when he was younger. A shard of glass whose edges were worn blunt and a tiny wooden carving of a shaggy dog with its tongue lolling out were crammed between several papers.

Sirius shoved the envelope and letter in the keepsake, and placed it back in the drawer.

Regulus was leaning against the doorframe impatiently tapping his fingers on his side. A scowl was still on his gaunt face, complementing his naturally stern features.

Sirius was so happy that he was smiling so much that his face began to feel funny.

Orion nudged his wife, and whispered something to her. Walburga nodded and swatted Orion away.

"As tradition goes in the Black family, tomorrow we will take you Sirius to Aunt Druella's house to spend the night," she paused for a moment before continuing.

"Aunt Druella will accompany you, Bellatrix, Narcissa and…. Andromeda to Diagon alley tomorrow to pick up your supplies." Sirius noticed how she said Andromeda's name. He knew that she didn't care for Andromeda, because she too was different.

A chorus a whines erupted from Regulus, who had wanted to visit his cousins quite desperately.

Walburga shot a glare towards Sirius before bending down to hug Regulus and tuck him into bed. She left the room in a hurry, while Orion stopped to give Sirius a pat on the shoulder and Regulus a hug.

Once both his parents left the room, Sirius flicked the light off hoping that tomorrow would never come.

Meanwhile Regulus couldn't stop talking about cousin Bellatrix and how Aunt Druella gave him the best sweets and baked the best dirigible plum pies. Sirius told Regulus to shut up at least twenty times, before he hurled a pillow at him. That seemed to make him quiet.

Sirius groaned and took his other pillow and fluffed it up. He regretted throwing a pillow at Regulus, because one really needed two pillows to get a decent night's sleep.

He hated cousin Bellatrix and Aunt Druella almost as much as he disliked Regulus. Cousin Narcissa was awful too (luckily she wasn't going to Hogwarts this year.) It was Andromeda's first year as well, and Bellatrix's second. Out of all his family Andromeda was his favorite. She was a good tempered and kind hearted girl.

The rules that they had were strict and endless. "Don't run down the halls. Don't touch anything. You can only have one glass of milk. Do not talk to that disgusting house elf you stupid boy! Do not read any of the books in the library; they are only there to compliment the shelf. Give Narcissa her bloomers back, and don't put them on the cat!" All of their rules were pointless and impossible to remember.

The mansion was as spooky as a cemetery at midnight. The house had 47 bedrooms and 43 of them were off limits. Sometimes he and Andromeda would venture off to a forbidden corridor to look for evil spirits. They always pretended that it was haunted by evil spirits and ghouls, (which it probably was.) so it made it much easier to pretend.

Sirius was so wrapped up in his thoughts, that the sound of Regulus's voice startled him.

"I wish I were the one going to Hogwarts, and to Aunt Dru's house. When I grow up I want to have a house like that." He paused to revel in the moment for a brief second.

"Slytherin doesn't need some loser like you. You'll probably end up losing them hundreds of points," Regulus said.

"Well I don't see you conjuring up any fancy charms or spells. You don't even have a wand, or a broom. And I hate Auntie Druella, so you can go live with her if you love her that much!"

Regulus became quiet for a second, but that only lasted for too short of a time.

"At least I don't hang out with Andromeda. I bet a wand won't even choose a loser of her standing."

"DON"T INSULT ANDROMEDA! SHE IS ONE MILLION TIMES SMARTER THAN THE UNGRATEFUL GIT YOU ARE!"

One thing always remained the same; Sirius's love for Andromeda. She was the only family member he remotely liked. This meant that no one could insult her, in his presence, without getting hollered at.

"Oh, Sirius I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's not your fault that you are such a loser and no one will ever love you." Regulus snickered under his blankets and threw Sirius's pillow back at him. Sarcasm was his forte.

'By the way, have fun with cousin Bellatrix tomorrow. Tell her I send my love." More snickers came from Regulus as he finished.

The room's darkness crept up on Sirius as he rolled over getting tangled in a sea of patchwork fabric.

_It's only one day, I'll be at Hogwarts soon enough. Everything will be fine. Maybe I won't get put in Slytherin._

Sirius's thoughts kept him awake, making it hard for him to get a good sleep. He eventually fell into a deep sleep and forgot all of the day's horrible events.


End file.
